Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.): Food and Medicinal Plant with Potential In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activities

Maram Hussein Zahra; Tarek A R Salem; Bishoy El-Aarag; Nermeen Yosri; Samah El-Ghlban; Kholoud Zaki; Amel H Marei; Aida Abd El-Wahed; Aamer Saeed; Alfi Khatib; Mohamed F AlAjmi; Abdulrahman M Shathili; Jianbo Xiao; Shaden A M Khalifa; Hesham R El-Seedi

doi:10.3390/molecules24132495

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.): Food and Medicinal Plant with Potential In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Cancer Activities

Molecules. 2019 Jul 8;24(13):2495. doi: 10.3390/molecules24132495.

Authors

Maram Hussein Zahra¹, Tarek A R Salem^{2

3}, Bishoy El-Aarag^{4

5}, Nermeen Yosri⁶, Samah El-Ghlban⁵, Kholoud Zaki⁶, Amel H Marei⁶, Aida Abd El-Wahed^{6

7

8}, Aamer Saeed⁹, Alfi Khatib¹⁰, Mohamed F AlAjmi¹¹, Abdulrahman M Shathili¹², Jianbo Xiao¹³, Shaden A M Khalifa^{14

15}, Hesham R El-Seedi^{16

17

18

19}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 7008530, Japan. [email protected].
² Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Al-Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia. [email protected].
³ Department of Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology Institute, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32958, Egypt. [email protected].
⁴ Division of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 7008530, Japan.
⁵ Biochemistry Division, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Koom 32512, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Koom 32512, Egypt.
⁷ Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 574, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden.
⁸ Department of Bee Research, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Giza 12627, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan 25200, Pahang, Malaysia.
¹¹ Pharmacognosy Group, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
¹² Al-Rayan Research and Innovation Center, Al-Rayan Colleges, Medina 42541, Saudi Arabia.
¹³ Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau 999078, China.
¹⁴ Clinical Research Centre, Karolinska University Hospital, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden.
¹⁵ Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
¹⁶ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Koom 32512, Egypt. [email protected].
¹⁷ Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Box 574, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden. [email protected].
¹⁸ Al-Rayan Research and Innovation Center, Al-Rayan Colleges, Medina 42541, Saudi Arabia. [email protected].
¹⁹ College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. [email protected].

Abstract

Background/aim: Plants play an important role in anti-cancer drug discovery, therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the biological activity of Alpinia zerumbet (A. zerumbet) flowers.

Methods: The phytochemical and biological criteria of A. zerumbet were in vitro investigated as well as in mouse xenograft model.

Results: A. zerumbet extracts, specially CH₂Cl₂ and MeOH extracts, exhibited the highest potent anti-tumor activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. The most active CH₂Cl₂ extract was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation leading to isolatation of the naturally occurring 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK) which was characterized by IR, MS, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR. A. zerumbet extracts, specially MeOH and CH₂Cl₂ extracts, exhibited significant inhibitory activity towards tumor volume (TV). Furthermore, A. zerumbet extracts declined the high level of malonaldehyde (MDA) as well as elevated the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in liver tissue homogenate. Moreover, DK showed anti-proliferative action on different human cancer cell lines. The recorded IC₅₀ values against breast carcinoma (MCF-7), liver carcinoma (Hep-G2) and larynx carcinoma cells (HEP-2) were 3.08, 6.8, and 8.7 µg/mL, respectively.

Conclusion: Taken together, these findings open the door for further investigations in order to explore the potential medicinal properties of A. zerumbet.

Keywords: 5,6-dehydrokawain; Alpinia zerumbet; Ehrlich ascites carcinoma; anti-oxidant; anti-tumor.

MeSH terms

Alpinia / chemistry*
Animals
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry*
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology
Antioxidants / chemistry
Antioxidants / pharmacology
Catalase / metabolism
Cell Line, Tumor
Cell Proliferation / drug effects
Cell Survival / drug effects
Chloroform / chemistry
Flowers / chemistry
Heterografts
Humans
Malondialdehyde / metabolism
Methanol / chemistry
Mice
Neoplasm Transplantation
Plant Extracts / chemistry*
Plant Extracts / pharmacology
Plants, Medicinal
Pyrones / chemistry*
Pyrones / pharmacology
Solvents
Superoxide Dismutase / metabolism

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
Antioxidants
Plant Extracts
Pyrones
Solvents
5,6-dehydrokawain
Malondialdehyde
Chloroform
Catalase
Superoxide Dismutase
Methanol

Grants and funding

Swedish Research links grant 2016-05885/Swedish Research links grant 2016-05885